Blades boss Heckingbottom describes Millwall matchwinner as a ‘threat’

Paul Heckingbottom gave Millwall centre-back Jake Cooper credit after he once again scored the winner against Sheffield United.

Cooper’s goal just after the hour mark was enough to give the Lions all three points and move them to within five points of the Championship play-offs places.

The 27-year-old has scored in five of his last six league matches against the Blades, which included a winner in the reverse fixture back in October.

Heckingbottom said: “Yes, we know he’s a threat. It’s not that he’s just scored the goal today, but he’s also just a threat.

“You could see in the first half, whenever there’s a free-kick in your half of the pitch, he’s the target.

“It might not be that he’s going to get the effort on goal with the first header, but it’s the balls [and players] running off that first header.

“We did work on that, we spoke about it, and as I said we dealt with it very well until that free-kick [that led to the winner].

“It was obviously one they’ve worked on, on another day it could be a free-kick to us but it’s not and we’ve paid the penalty today.”